- The moment occurred during the Águilas’ 28-23 victory over the Jaguares
An NFL fan left his wife in disbelief Sunday when he caught a game ball, before quickly returning it to the field.
The Eagles were facing the Jaguars when Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts deflected a pass into the stands, with a fan just behind the end zone catching it himself.
His wife’s excitement at that moment quickly turned to disappointment when the man used his second in the spotlight to spike the ball into the grass.
The couple’s wife and daughter extended their hands in bewilderment as they appeared to ask the man why he threw away the ball.
The moment was clipped and posted by Pardon My Takes account X, and has been viewed four million times on the platform as of this writing.
The man quickly returned the ball to the field after catching it on Sunday.
His wife and daughter were incredulous at the move and the moment went viral.
Overall, it was a solid day for Jalen Hurts as he completed 18 of 24 passes with three total touchdowns.
However, even if the man had decided to keep the ball, it is not clear if he would have been able to do so.
NFL fans are generally expected to return game balls; One incident in 2022 even resulted in a fellow Eagles fan allegedly being assaulted and falsely arrested by MetLife Stadium security and New Jersey State Police.
In that case, Hurts handed fan Paul Hamilton a touchdown ball after scoring.
However, according to a lawsuit later filed by Hamilton and seen by NorteJersey.comHamilton was told it was necessary to return the ball.
He refused to do so when officials allegedly refused to provide what rule required him to hand over the ball.
Hamilton was later allegedly stopped by officers as he attempted to leave the stadium, “forcibly restrained” and even threatened with legal action before he was finally allowed to leave with the ball.
